Female Sex Is a Risk Factor Associated with Long-Term Post-COVID Related-Symptoms but Not with COVID-19 Symptoms: The LONG-COVID-EXP-CM Multicenter Study

This multicenter cohort study of 1969 COVID-19 survivors (46.4% women) from five public hospitals in Spain found that while there were no significant sex differences in COVID-19 onset symptoms, female sex was a significant risk factor for long-term post-COVID symptoms. Eight months post-discharge, 60% of survivors reported post-COVID symptoms, with women experiencing an average of 2.25 symptoms compared to 1.5 in men. Women were more likely to report ≥3 post-COVID symptoms, fatigue, dyspnea, pain, hair loss, ocular problems, depressive levels, and worse sleep quality. The study highlights the need for healthcare systems to consider sex differences in managing long-term post-COVID conditions.